Inside the Medical Hall
Almy stepped into the treatment room to talk to Khaled.
Her eyes flicked toward the young man lying motionless on the bed.
Almy whispered, "So… this is the man."
Khaled noticed something strange in her tone, in the way she looked at him.
Khaled said, "Yeah… his name's Ethan."
Almy asked quietly, "Is he badly hurt?"
Khaled replied, "He took a bullet to the leg. Daisy said he's exhausted from the blood loss. He'll be fine after a few weeks of rest."
Curiosity tugged at him, and he decided to ask,
"Do you… know him? You were looking at him kinda weird."
Almy's face flushed. She froze for a moment, her eyes darting for a way out of the situation.
"A–No! I don't know him. He just looked… familiar, that's all."
She quickly shifted the subject.
"Where's the other mutant?"
Khaled answered, "I left him with Stan when we got off the plane."
Almy frowned. "Isn't he hurt too?"
Khaled shook his head. "No, that's Simon. His injury's minor compared to Ethan tha's. He can still walk and move fine."
Almy let out a small sigh of relief. "That's good news… Why didn't Daisy use her powers to heal them both?"
Khaled shrugged. "She's probably not skilled enough yet."
"Alright then," Almy said softly. "I'll head back to the control room. If you need me, I'll be there."
"Got it," Khaled replied.
---
Outside — in the small village
Stan and Connor walked side by side between the wooden houses.
"So," Connor said with a grin, "you're French?"
Stan nodded. "Yeah. I used to live in Lyon."
Connor said : "Lyon? Beautiful city. I'm from Barcelona," .
Stan smiled faintly. "Getting hit by radiation was… a gift. A new life."
Connor raised a brow. "A gift? Why?"
Stan chuckled. "My old life was garbage. Just a dock worker—long hours, little pay. Every night I'd hit the bar right after work. Drink myself into oblivion."
Both men laughed.
Stan asked."What about you?"
Connor said."I was born and raised by the coast," ..."Used to work as a lifeguard."
Stan's eyes widened. "So you're used to saving people, huh?"
Connor grinned. "Yeah. Especially after the Catastrophe—it's second nature now."
Stan :"Really? What's your mutation?"
Connor : "Amphibian beast."
Stan's grin widened. "I like that."
They kept walking as Stan showed him around their base.
Connor pointed toward a nearby building. "What's that one?"
Stan replied, "Our treatment hall."
Connor nodded approvingly. "Nice. You've got your own little hospital. Got doctors too?"
Stan said : "We have one doctor," "She's a mutant as well."
Connor smirked. "What else you got?"
Stan pointed down a hallway. "There—that's our food storage."
Connor frowned. "You only stock crops? Is that enough to live on?"
Stan chuckled. "Heh. I control plants. So yeah, I can grow what we need whenever we need it."
Connor smiled. "And now Ethan's here, you'll have plenty of water too."
Stan blinked. "The boy who came with you?"
"Yeah. I noticed he can control water."
Stan's eyes gleamed. "Interesting."
They passed a flock of sheep grazing in a field.
"Ugh," Connor groaned. "That smell! I hate sheep."
Stan teased, "Guess you'll need a mask every time you walk by, huh?"
They laughed.
Soon, they reached a large building. Stan opened the door.
Stan : "This is our training hall," "Mousta runs it."
Inside, Mousta was lifting the rusty frame of an old truck, counting loudly,
Mousta : "187! 188! 189…!"
He didn't even notice them enter.
Connor smirked. "Wow… isn't that a bit much for one guy?"
Stan laughed. "He's our tank. Trust me—don't train with him unless you want to pass out."
Connor chuckled. "Yeah, no thanks. I'll stick to solo training."
They laughed again as Stan continued the tour—showing him the control room, the armory, and the machinery workshop.
---
Elsewhere — Khaled's room
Khaled lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Images from his past flooded back.
---
Flashback
At his grandfather's farmhouse, the family had gathered for a reunion.
Grandma, Grandpa, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings—everyone was there.
They sat around a long table, laughing and chatting as they shared breakfast. The warm hum of voices filled the air.
After eating, the men went outside to prepare a lamb for the evening barbecue.
Everyone had a task.
Khaled's was to fetch firewood from the forest.
He grabbed an axe from the barn and set off.
As he walked, he noticed flocks of birds flying in the same direction—like they were escaping something.
It was strange, but he shrugged it off and kept going.
He reached the forest, searching for fallen trees and dry logs.
Then—
A deep, distant boom.
The ground shook. The trees trembled as if in a mini earthquake. It lasted only seconds.
Silence followed. Khaled stood frozen, staring around in shock.
Then cautiously, he kept moving.
He found a few fallen trunks and started chopping.
Just as he swung the axe—
A violent black wind blasted through the forest, rushing from the direction of the explosion.
---
End of Flashback
Khaled jerked awake, drenched in sweat.
He sat up fast, breathing hard.
He walked to the window, staring outside as he caught his breath.
"Oh God," he muttered. "Grant me strength… to face this curse."
He splashed cold water on his face, then stepped outside.
The fresh air greeted him—clean and cool, carrying the scent of damp grass.
Ahead stretched a green view of trees and small wooden houses scattered like part of the forest itself.
As he walked through the dirt path, he saw refugees everywhere:
Kids playing soccer.
People picking fruit.
Others repairing their homes.
For a moment, it almost looked peaceful.
Then something caught his eye—
A figure, half-hidden behind the trees, watching.
Khaled stopped, squinting.
Was that a person… or something else?
He stepped closer.
Yes—definitely someone.
The figure just stood there, staring back.
Khaled's pulse quickened. He broke into a run.
"Hey! You there!" he shouted.
The person heard him and began backing away—then vanished between the trees.
Khaled sprinted after him.
"Stop!" he yelled. "Hey! Wait!"
He crashed through the forest, branches whipping past him, searching in every direction.
But the stranger was gone.
After minutes of chasing shadows, Khaled stopped, panting.
Who the hell was that? he thought.
He wasn't alone… we've been watched for a while. If they know we've seen them, the base is in danger. I have to warn the others—fast.
He turned to head back—but a sound rustled nearby.
He spun around. Nothing.
Then—another movement. A shadow flicked behind him.
Khaled's nerves spiked. He dropped into a fighting stance.
"Show yourself!" he barked. "I know you're there!"
No response. Just the wind through the leaves.
"Face me!" he shouted again.
Then—
A young man stepped from behind a tree. Brown beard. Black coat. Jeans.
Looked normal—too normal.
Khaled felt a presence behind him, turned slowly—
And there he was. The stranger, standing just a few meters away.
The forest fell silent.
Only the whisper of wind and rustling leaves filled the air.
Khaled met his gaze, eyes steady.
The man finally spoke, calm and confident:
"I like your courage."
Tell me in the comments what this man is looking for.🔥